Apple files with India government to open first stores

A man inspects the Apple iPhone 6 Plus at an electronics store in Mumbai, India, July 23, 2015. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

NEW DELHI, India: Apple said it has asked the Indian government for permission to open its first stores in the country, paving the way for its feted brands to join the fast-growing smartphone market. 

While it has 31 stores in China alone and others in Japan and Hong Kong, the world’s biggest technology company by market value has held off from opening its own stores in India.